The art of the present invention relates to coil handling assemblies for securing rolls or coils of sheet material in a cradle-like manner. More particularly, the present art cradles sheet material coils such that once a coil is secured to the assembly, the assembly and the attached coil can simply be transported to a processing line and the sheet material unwound from the assembly for processing. This type of coil handling assembly is typically used for processing sheet metal in the HVAC industry although the present invention can conceivably be utilized in other industries employing coiled material, either metallic or non-metallic.
Coiled sheet metal as typically utilized in the metal processing industry consists of a continuous coiled roll or ‘coil,’ which during an earlier processing step was initially wound around a mandrel until the desired quantity or lineal feet of sheet metal was obtained. Subsequently, the coil was removed from the mandrel leaving a center opening in the coil which extends completely through the wound coil from a front edge of the coil to a back edge of the coil. The diameter of the center opening corresponds with the diameter of the mandrel from which it was removed and the length or depth of the center opening corresponds with the width of the sheet metal itself. The standard center opening of coiled sheet metal with a material thickness typically used in the HVAC industry has a diameter of approximately 20 (twenty) to 24 (twenty-four) inches. This center opening in the coil is commonly referred to as the inner diameter (or ID) of the coil. The center opening or coil ID is used whenever the coil is subsequently handled, either for transport and/or for further processing.
The improved coil handling assembly of the present invention first comprises a cylindrical support member capable of supporting the coiled material across the entire width of the coil. The cylindrical support member has a front end, a back end, and a shaft extending from both the front end and the back end. Preferably a front bearing/support assembly is attached to or with a front end extension of the shaft and a back bearing/support assembly is attached to or with a back end extension of the shaft. The cylindrical support member further has a moveable front and back coil stabilizer. Preferably, the front and back coil stabilizers each have a retainer plate with a center aperture capable of receiving the cylindrical support member and a clamping member having a circumferential band and a fastening means or a clamping member having a circumferential band in combination with a fastening means. The clamping member is preferably at least partially attached to the retainer plate such that the clamping member is capable of receiving the cylindrical support member and the fastening means is capable of tightening and/or loosening the clamping member with respect to the cylindrical support member such that both the front and back coil stabilizers can be removably attached and secured to the cylindrical support member.
With the commercially manufactured prior art, the wound coil is not supported along its entire width but is merely supported along the coil's front edge and the coil's back edge with a front hub/front bearing assembly and a back hub/back bearing assembly intermediately connected with a shaft passing through the coil's ID.
With all of the prior art coil handling devices, at least one of the hub/bearing assemblies must be disconnected from the shaft and removed in order to load another coil into the coil handling device. With applicant's improved coil handling assembly, the only part or portion requiring removal for reloading another coil, is one of the coil stabilizers, each of which easily slide off of the cylindrical support member. Applicant's cylindrical support member also has a diameter less than the diameter of the center opening of the wound coil (e.g. ID less than twenty inches) which assures that the coil center of gravity is below the shaft centerline. Since the shaft/bearing assemblies of applicant's improved coil handling assembly are integral to the cylindrical support member unit which easily slides through the coil's ID, said assemblies do not require removal to load or unload a coil. Less modification or changeover to the coil handling equipment results in significant time savings and greater manufacturing efficiencies in the processing line. It is estimated that applicant's improved coil handling assembly reduces coil loading time by approximately 83% over the existing prior art coil handling devices.
The improved coil handling assembly of the present invention also allows for the handling of coils with irregular or egg-shaped ID's. The cylindrical support member of applicant's improved coil handling assembly is capable of supporting the coiled material across the entire width of the coil even though the diameter of the cylindrical support member is less than the diameter of the coil ID. The smaller diameter of the cylindrical support member allows the cylindrical support member to be easily received within irregular shaped center openings (ID) of a wound coil. Prior art alternatives which support the coil only on the edges of the coil's ID require a substantially symmetrical coil ID of a uniform diameter.
Also, the improved coil handling assembly of applicant's invention can be used with any coil width, such as smaller slit coil multiples. Since the coil stabilizers are slidable along the cylindrical support member until completely flush with one another, the present art allows for infinite width accommodation up to the length of the cylindrical support member. The hub/bearing assemblies of the prior art alternatives have significant depth to the hub/bearing assemblies themselves such that said prior art are not fully adjustable. That is, unlike the present art, the prior art assemblies cannot be adjusted flush with one another and therefore have a minimum coil width restriction in addition to a maximum coil width restriction.
Furthermore, the present art improved coil handling assembly minimizes unintentional unwinding or free spooling of the coil when the coil is attached to the improved coil handling assembly. That is, since the unique cylindrical support member actually lowers the coil's center of gravity while supporting the coil's weight, the coils ability to free spool is minimized.
Still further, the present invention provides an improved coil handling assembly capable of being edge guided, center guided, and/or multiple position guided for essentially unlimited guide positions and therefore maximum flexibility on various processing lines. Additionally, the improved coil handling assembly provides for the coil to be over wound or under wound during processing.
The preferred embodiment of the improved coil handling assembly of the present invention comprises a cylindrical support member capable of being at least partially received within the coil's ID and extending through the coil's ID from the coil's front edge to the coil's back edge such that the cylindrical support member is capable of providing support to the coiled material across the entire width of the coil itself.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved coil handling assembly and method of manufacture which provides a coil support along the entire coil width and not simply the coil ID edges.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved coil handling assembly and method of manufacture which minimizes the labor and time requirements for loading and unloading coils.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved coil handling assembly and method of manufacture which handles coils having an irregular shaped ID.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved coil handling assembly and method of manufacture which is adaptable to most any width coil.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide an improved coil handling assembly and method of manufacture which minimizes coil free spooling and provides maximum flexibility on various processing lines.